Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson accounted for 101 percent of his team's offensive production against Air Force. Is that a good thing?Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

ANN ARBOR -- Alabama offered a stern reminder that if Denard Robinson can be neutralized, so can Michigan's offense. Some of the best defenses to face the Wolverines have net similar results with a similar blueprint.

Air Force is not one of those defenses.

And Robinson went bonkers.

He turned his second snap into a 79-yard touchdown run, and never really let off the gas in a 31-25 win. He finished with 218 yards rushing and 208 yards passing, his third career 200/200 game.

It's a nod to Robinson's singular talent, but also to the lack of production from others. Namely, the tailbacks.

Fitz Toussaint returned from his one-game suspension, but his game didn't. He finished with eight carries for 7 yards, an even worse output than what backups Vincent Smith and Thomas Rawls posted against Alabama without him.

After two games, Michigan's tailbacks combine for 49 yards on 27 carries -- a meager 1.8 yards per carry.

Against a team such as Air Force -- talented, but lacking size and speed on defense -- Robinson can turn on the burners and take over the game. He's done it before, and he'll do it again.

That's how he's positioned himself to become the Big Ten's all-time leading rusher at his position. The NCAA mark remains a possibility.

But the best defenses have become increasingly effective against Robinson. Alabama -- and Michigan State and Virginia Tech before it -- took away the run, forcing Robinson to pass, and he stalled.

And when Robinson doesn't have it going, neither does the Michigan offense. Its worst games last year where against Michigan State, Illinois and Virginia Tech, and each employed this strategy.

Robinson needs to have defenses respect his passing game -- but the Wolverines also need a more-balanced attack to achieve offensive consistency. History shows Robinson can't sustain this kind of production on a weekly basis.

Michigan got 426 yards from Robinson against Air Force, and eked out a six-point win. What what happens when he doesn't have a 400-yard game?

Robinson shows gains in passing game

Robinson's rushing against Air Force was enchanting, but the biggest takeaway from his performance was the striking improvement in his passing.

His raw numbers were solid, finishing 14-of-25 passing for 208 yards, two touchdowns and an interception that wasn't his fault. But his performance was better than that.

His numbers weren't skewed by a big gain here or there -- like they were against Alabama -- but were posted via steady play and consistent gains that helped sustain drives. He made crisp passes and strong reads.

Robinson threw a beautiful 30-yard touchdown pass to Devin Funchess in the second quarter, and put enough touch on the ball so that the 6-foot-5 tight end simply had to out-jump 5-foot-10 corner Anthony LaCoste.

That was a highlight. But Robinson even converted in more nuanced ways, such as checking down to receiver Devin Gardner on a third-and-7 midway through the second quarter. Air Force brought a blitz, but Robinson recognized it, got the ball off quickly and hit Gardner in the numbers for a first down.

That's exactly the kind of play that gave Robinson fits last year.

He has always been more comfortable in the shotgun, and Michigan ran it 83 percent of the time against Air Force. But he also was effective under center, completing 3-of-5 passes, two of which went for touchdowns.

Robinson made mistakes too, certainly. He threw off his back foot at least twice, completing neither pass. He nearly threw a pick in the first quarter, but the pass was batted down.

But he consistently put the ball on target, and forced it to covered receivers only a couple times. Those are big gains from last year.

The question now becomes: Can he repeat those results against better competition?

Third-down strategy is pass heavy

When Michigan needed a third-down conversion, offensive coordinator Al Borges elected to pass nearly every time.

The Wolverines passed on eight of their 10 third downs (discarding a kneel to end the game), and ran only two times. Interestingly, Robinson threw to only two receivers in these situations: Jeremy Jackson and Devin Gardner, who are Michigan's biggest wideouts at 6-foot-4.

Jackson was targeted on four of the eight third-down passes, hauling in two. Gardner was targeted twice and caught one.

This strategy might seem backward for a team that favors the run, but it worked brilliantly. Michigan was 5-of-7 on third downs that required fewer than 9 yards for a conversion. It was 0-for-3 on everything else.

Freshmen play growing role

Michigan went young against Alabama, and went even younger against Air Force, particularly on defense. That includes at linebacker, a position that was thought to be mostly settled with each starter returning.

Michigan freshman linebacker Joe Bolden secures one of his 10 tackles Saturday against Air Force, which was second on the team.Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

Freshman Joe Bolden was the biggest beneficiary, replacing senior starter Kenny Demens for two series in the first half, then playing for what appeared to be the duration of the second half.

Demens, last year's leading tackler, might not have played a single second-half snap.

Bolden's two first-half series, incidentally, were the only two on which Michigan forced a punt. Both drives ended three-and-out -- Bolden forcing the first one with a third-down tackle.

Demens came back on for the final drive of the half, and the Wolverines allowed an 11-play, 55-yard touchdown drive. He was done for the day.

There were breakdowns all over the field, which allowed Air Force to rack up 417 yards of offense and 25 points, and blame certainly isn't confined to Demens. But when the senior was out there, his struggles were staggering.

Demens was too easily blocked, sometimes taking himself out of plays. His angles were poor, and his hesitation considerable. He finished with seven tackles, fifth on the team, but just wasn't effective.

Bolden went the whole way in the second half and seemed to be an improvement. Michigan still struggled to get off the field, allowing four second-half drives of at least 10 plays, but the freshman also played a key role in late stops.

His biggest play was sniffing out a fake field-goal attempt in the third quarter and assisting on a tackle at the 2-yard line that preserved Michigan's 28-17 lead. It proved to be a big play in a six-point win.

Bolden wasn't the only freshman to play significant snaps. In fact, to start a pivotal fourth-quarter defensive series with a six-point lead, Michigan sent out Bolden and fellow newcomer James Ross to play linebacker (with a sophomore, Jake Ryan).

Tackle Ondre Pipkins and safety Jarrod Wilson also played on that key series, which ended with a turnover on downs.

Bolden and Ross aren't as seasoned as Demens and Desmond Morgan, but were assertive and aggressive. They were in the right places when it mattered most.

And they were on the field at a critical juncture, which means they could be absorbing the veterans' snaps and maybe, in time, their jobs.

Expect Michigan to get the young guys considerable minutes next week against Massachusetts as they try to sort out rotations heading into Notre Dame and the Big Ten slate.

Devin Funchess breaks onto scene

The best rookie of all was on the other side of the ball, where the tight end Funchess did more than make up for the loss of injured starter Brandon Moore. He caught the first four passes of his career -- and they each went at least 21 yards. He finished with 106 yards receiving.

Funchess won't post those kinds of numbers every time out, but if he shows consistency, he needs to be Michigan's starting tight end. He's a big, athletic presence in the passing game, and Robinson operates best with those kinds of targets.

Dennis Norfleet is who we that he was

Hoke said before the opener that Dennis Norfleet was not only a speedster, but possessed the critical kick-returning gene of fearlessness.

That was spelled out when Norfleet basically tore a second-half kickoff out of the hands of fellow deep man Drew Dileo -- then returned it to the 34-yard line. No fear.

Norfleet has invigorated Michigan's previously listless return game. He averaged 25.7 yards on three returns in only his second college game. That's a revelation, after the Wolverines averaged just 18.4 yards per return last year.

He broke one for 36 yards against Air Force, longer than any Michigan had all of last year.

Norfleet's a threat every time he touches it -- and it's evident he knows it. Pure swagger.

Jeremy Gallon's mistakes prove costly

While Michigan's kick return game surges, its punt return unit continues to cost the team valuable field position.

In the opener, returner Jeremy Gallon inexplicably decided to not field a punt deep in his own territory -- and the ball was easily downed at Michigan's own 2-yard line. A costly mistake, but one from which he could learn.

Yet, against Air Force, he made an identical mistake on a first-half punt. The Falcons were punting from their own 17-yard line, so the Wolverines should have ended up with favorable field position -- only, Gallon again declined to catch the ball. It rolled 24 yards before finally resting at his own 12-yard line.

Those a rookie mistakes. Gallon is a junior in his third year as the starting punt returner. He should know better.

And if he doesn't learn, Michigan should explore its options. Norfleet hasn't been seen on punt return yet, but it's not a stretch to imagine his quickness being well-suited for this role in addition to kick returns.

Michigan's field-goal unit limited

One final special teams note: Michigan faced a fourth-and-19 from Air Force's 34-yard line on its second drive of the game, but instead of attempting a 51-yard field goal, Hoke sent out Matt Wile for a pooch punt.

Hoke has said in not so many words that placekicker Brendan Gibbons' range is limited, and that attempts of at least 53 or 54 yards might go to Wile. But given a shot at a 51-yarder (into a light breeze), Michigan instead punted.

Gibbons' career long is just 43 yards. What happens if the Wolverines need a long one?

Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for MLive.com. He can be reached by email at kmeinke@mlive.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.